Docker

The dovi_convert Docker container provides a self-contained environment with all dependencies pre-installed. It includes a web-based terminal, so you can access the tool from any browser without installing anything on your host system.

Features

Web terminal — Access dovi_convert through your browser at http://your-host:7681
Pre-configured environment — All dependencies (ffmpeg, dovi_tool, mkvtoolnix, mediainfo) included
NAS-friendly — Designed for network storage devices and servers
User mapping — Run with your own UID/GID to avoid file permission issues
Persistent sessions — The container has tmux for session management installed

Quick Start

Docker run
Docker Compose

docker run -d \
  --name=dovi_convert \
  -e PUID=1000 \
  -e PGID=1000 \
  -e TZ=Europe/Berlin \
  -p 7681:7681 \
  -v /path/to/media:/data \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  cryptochrome/dovi_convert:latest

Save this as docker-compose.yml:

services:
  dovi_convert:
    image: cryptochrome/dovi_convert:latest
    container_name: dovi_convert
    hostname: dovi-convert
    environment:
      - PUID=1000                   # Your user ID (run 'id' to find)
      - PGID=1000                   # Your group ID
      - TZ=UTC                      # Your timezone
      - TMUX_HISTORY_LIMIT=50000    # Number of lines to reserve for `tmux` buffer
    volumes:
      # Mount your media folder(s) here
      - /mnt/media/movies:/data/movies
      - /mnt/media/tv:/data/tv
      # - /path/to/ssd:/cache  # Optional: fast temp storage
    ports:
      - 7681:7681
    restart: unless-stopped

Then start the container:

docker compose up -d

Then open http://your-docker-host:7681 in your browser.

Configuration

User and Group IDs

The PUID and PGID environment variables control which user the container runs as. Set these to match your host user to avoid permission problems when accessing files. To find your user and group IDs:

id

This outputs something like uid=1000(yourname) gid=1000(yourname). Use these values for PUID and PGID.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`PUID`	`1000`	User ID for file permissions
`PGID`	`1000`	Group ID for file permissions
`TZ`	`UTC`	Timezone for log timestamps
`TMUX_HISTORY_LIMIT`	`50000`	Number of lines to reserve for `tmux` buffer

Volume Mounts

Mount your media directories to /data inside the container. You can mount multiple paths:

-v /mnt/movies:/data/movies \
-v /mnt/tv:/data/tv

Inside the container, access your files at /data/movies, /data/tv, etc.

Temp Directory for Faster Conversions

If your media is on slow storage (mechanical HDDs), you can bind-mount a faster drive for temporary files:

-v /path/to/ssd:/cache

Then use the --temp flag when converting:

dovi_convert convert /data/movie.mkv --temp /cache

Temporary files are written to the fast drive while the source and final output stay on your media volume.

Port Configuration

The web terminal runs on port 7681 inside the container. Map it to any available port on your host:

-p 8080:7681  # Access at http://your-host:8080

Using the Web Terminal

Once the container is running, open http://your-docker-host:7681 in your browser. You’ll see a terminal session with dovi_convert ready to use. The container includes a dovi alias for convenience - for example:

dovi help          # Same as dovi_convert --help
dovi scan          # Same as dovi_convert scan
# etc.

Session Persistence

If you run longer, unattended conversions and close your browser window, the session will be terminated and the conversion interrupted. To avoid this, you can use tmux to create persistent sessions. This allows you to close your browser and later re-attach to the session to check on status or continue working where you left off.

tmux sessions persist as long as the container is running, unless you manually terminate them.

Using `tmux`

This will start a new tmux session. You are automatically attached to it and can start working with dovi_convert.

tmux new -s mysession

You can simply close your browser and the session will continue running in the background. For a more graceful exit, you can use this keyboard shortcut to detach: Press Ctrl+b followed by d.

When you later come back and login to the container again, you can re-attach to the existing session with:

tmux attach -t mysession

To list all running sessions, use:

tmux ls

To kill a detached session, use:

tmux kill-session -t mysession

To end a session you are currently attached to, simply exit the shell by typing:

exit

To scroll through the session history after re-attaching, use Ctrl+b followed by [, then use the arrow or Page Up/Down keys to scroll. Press q to exit scroll mode.

For more info on how to use tmux, see the official tmux documentation.

Session Buffer

By default, the container reserves a buffer of 50,000 lines of text for tmux. This should be plenty for scrolling back in sessions after you re-attach (to check on progress, for example). However, 50k lines consume about 50-100 MB of RAM. If you are memory constrained, or want an even larger buffer, you can change the buffer size by setting the TMUX_HISTORY_LIMIT environment variable for the Docker container. An example is provided in the Docker Compose file on this page.

Getting started

Installation

Core Concepts

Features

Quick Start

Configuration

User and Group IDs

Environment Variables

Volume Mounts

Temp Directory for Faster Conversions

Port Configuration

Using the Web Terminal

Session Persistence

Using `tmux`

Session Buffer

Next Steps

File Scanning

File Conversion

Getting started

Installation

Core Concepts

​Features

​Quick Start

​Configuration

​User and Group IDs

​Environment Variables

​Volume Mounts

​Temp Directory for Faster Conversions

​Port Configuration

​Using the Web Terminal

​Session Persistence

​Using tmux

​Session Buffer

​Next Steps

File Scanning

File Conversion

Features

Quick Start

Configuration

User and Group IDs

Environment Variables

Volume Mounts

Temp Directory for Faster Conversions

Port Configuration

Using the Web Terminal

Session Persistence

Using `tmux`

Session Buffer

Next Steps